2015 Dodge Challenger SRT8 Hellcat Delivers +600 hp

New Engine Becomes Most Powerful Dodge V8 Ever

The 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT8 will finally be able to unleash the kind of road-destroying range topper offered by its muscle-car rivals, thanks to a new hi-po variant with the nom de guerre of "Hellcat." Helping to welcome the SRT family back to the Dodge brand proper, the Hellcat is powered by a 6.2-liter HEMI V8 that's been supercharged to serve up more than 600 hp. And while Dodge has yet to release torque figures for the new powerplant, that horsepower mark does leave the Challenger comfortably nestled between the Chevy Camaro ZL1 (580 hp) and the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, the current king of the corral with 662 horses.

Needless to say, the Hellcat gets a full complement of other performance enhancers, too, to allow owners to make the most out of all that power. For example, the ultimate 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT8 also wears the largest front-brake setup ever offered by Dodge, with those stoppers working to halt exclusive forged-aluminum wheels wrapped in Y-Plus-rated Pirelli rubber. The Chrysler Group's TorqueFlite 8 automatic transmission also debuts in the Hellcat, although a six-speed manual remains standard; the same transmission choices are provided for the "regular" 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT8 as well, with the latter car further benefiting from significant upgrades of its own.

Among them:

15 more horsepower and 5 more lb.-ft. of torque, for outputs of 485 hp and 470 lb.-ft. of twist

New Drive Modes to tailor vehicle responses for different driving styles, including a "Custom" setting so drivers can adjust performance systems individually

Two key fobs, with a "valet" unit that limits available power and performance

Pricing for the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT8 and SRT8 Hellcat has yet to be released, but Dodge did note that production will begin in the third quarter of this year, while Tim Kuniskis, president and CEO of the Dodge brand, indicated that: “The new 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat is the ultimate performance muscle car. Dodge is the Mainstream Performance brand, and now combined with SRT, we are able to unleash a true GT car with an all-new driver-focused interior and the TorqueFlite eight-speed transmission combined with the most powerful V-8 Chrysler has ever produced. The Challenger Hellcat has been released!”